1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to infant clothing, and more particularly to clothing designed for use in neonatal intensive care units and for premature infants.
2. Background
Clothing for infants has always been a popular business. Parents, grandparents and other relatives have always reveled in purchasing the perfect outfit for the newborn. Although a substantial percentage of children are born prematurely and/or requiring immediate or intensive care, the availability of clothing which is appropriate either for the premature infant or the infant requiring such special care is limited. Often times, particularly in intensive care situations, the infant is clothed simply in a diaper so that the variety of medical instrumentation and treatment devices can be easily observed, monitored and maintained. Nevertheless, it has been established that with neonatal intensive care unit children, especially those who must remain within the intensive care setting for a lengthened period of time, that clothing a child in something other than simply a diaper benefits the parent-child relationship and the child care giver relationship.
Nevertheless, clothing which is typically available for neonatal intensive care use and premature infant use is typically nothing more than clothing which is typically produced for the infant. Using this clothing for the intensive care infant and the premature infant poses a number of shortcomings. First, and most obviously, clothing which is manufactured or produced for a full-term infant is typically larger than what is needed for the neonatal intensive care or premature infant. Premature infants are often born weighing below 1,000 grams at birth. Secondly, clothing for the neonatal intensive infant must be configured so that it provides to the care giver access to the variety of electrical leads, hoses, catheters and tubes which are necessarily present in the intensive care environment. Clothing for the full-term infant rarely provides this type of access. Finally, clothing for the neonatal intensive care infant and the premature infant should provide easy access to any and all parts of the infant's anatomy, so that caring for the child can be made as easy as possible.